End of production

[gt1]

I haven't heard anything official, but there are speculations that i3 will be replaced by iX1 for 2022. There is nothing else like i3 on the market and nothing similar is planned. My wife is still in love with this car and I'm also very fond of it. Seriously thinking about replacing our 2018 with 2021 which would last a long time. Should I hurry up and order it before it is too late?

 

[Anonymous]

I think you may be right. BMW is no longer even trying to sell the i3 in the USA. Dealers aren't stocking them at all, special order only. The iX1 is guesstimated in the same price-range as the i3. Though 'Inside EV" thnks the i3 won't be discontinued until 2024. And the question is, will the iX1 even be sold in the USA???

 

[gt1]

Not much reliable info... If they want to keep i3 until 24 it should come with at least some upgrades, it is falling behind in many aspects by now. I'll try to call a dealer, although they are often the last to know about the future prospects.

 

[electrons]

BMW built it's brand name on smooth engines & great handling. In this new world of EVs, I don't see them competing well any more. Other brands are spanking their teutonic rears. ...
They should be hoping CO2 & H2O can be converted to HxCx (fuel) using nuclear power plants, wind energy, & solar cells so they can keep producing ICE vehicles or mild hybrids that handle great & have great engines.
https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/synthetic-fuels/synthetic-fuels-briefing.pdf

 

[frictioncircle]

gt1, your instincts are correct – no BMW dealer will be able to give you worthwhile information about upcoming product line changes!

The last bump to the battery was to 42 kWh for the 2019 model year.

If you think of an i3 as a city car (which I do) it's a well thought-out machine, which makes one wonder, what else does this design need? (not much, in my opinion!)

It's light, small outside but huge inside, has good range (for city driving), a KILLER turning radius, good stereo, and is a joy to drive. BMW nailed it on the first go. I'm the first owner of my early-production 2014 BEV and it still feels like a new car. It has certainly held up much better over its lifetime than my previous ICE BMWs.

Sure, I'd like a bigger battery than my 22 kWh original... and maybe a lighter interior than the Tera World that I currently live with. That said, there's no other vehicle out there that I'd consider for a future daily driver other than a final-model-year production i3.

 

[agzand]

US used to be the largest market for i3. In recent years market has shifted significantly to Europe. BMW also needs to sell as many i3s as they can in Europe to reduce emissions fines under current EU policy. I think that could be a reason for reducing emphasis in US market. I think the official narrative is that i3 will be in production until 2024, but things can change.

I think they will do another battery upgrade and will drop the REX entirely, they might even drop i3 in US market but will keep it in Europe. None of their other EV cars is directly comparable to i3. The supermini class is very important in EU market due to difficulty of parking in urban areas.

 

[n1o2c3a4c5h6e7t]

I agree that more miles isn't really the issue with this car because it's the quintessential city car. I can see keeping my 2014 BEV i3 forever because it's really quite perfect for Houston and I'm not sure that I want a bigger car. I wouldn't mind an upgrade to a 2019-2020 i3s in red color with all options though.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I had an ICE and the i3...last fall, I sold the ICE and bought the X5 45e PHEV. Just looked at the status page this afternoon, and it says I'm averaging 66mpg...most of my driving with it is in EV mode. While it's much larger than the i3, I've also got a handicap tag, so parking isn't usually an issue, and I'm selling my i3 as I've not really driven it much in the last six months. NH lets you park for free in any public parking with a handicapped tag displayed, so that's one less thing, too. Plus, that's one less vehicle to register, insure, and move around during a snowstorm (I only have a single car garage!). I'll miss the i3, as it is fun to drive, but the X5 is, too.

 

[frictioncircle]

Rumors are that i3 production will end in 2024 but reading the OP's first post brings up a thought – might BMW NA kill the i3 before BMW AG ?

MKH, I haven't been to my dealer in a long time – it's really disappointing to hear that the ones in your area have switched to order-only. That's a great move to kill demand for the way many USA customers buy... we want to walk in to the dealer and walk out four ( ) hours later with a new car – no waiting for months for your exact build (though I'm an ordering type of customer).

Improvements I'd like to see before the i3 ends production:
– bump the battery pack to somewhere in the mid-60kWh region
– improve Active Cruise Control so its behavior is smoother
– iDrive 8 (could we please get a HUD?)
– better lighting in the cargo area
– kill the REx and replace it with storage like the Wokeby extension
– a light-colored interior like Mega Carum Spice Grey, but with leather seating surfaces

None of these are must-haves for me – I'll replace my 2014 22kWH BEV with whatever BMW NA gives us for the final model year.

I must compliment the i3's original designers. They (likely) began the i3's original design a decade ago in 2011, if not earlier. Ten years later, I feel the i3 is still perfectly suited to its original task and, pleasantly, exists somewhat beyond time in the normal terms of the automotive industry.

 

[Anonymous]

MKH, I haven't been to my dealer in a long time – it's really disappointing to hear that the ones in your area have switched to order-only.

This has been the issue for the last year or so - but may have been exacerbated by the COVID BMW plant shutdown. Was pleasantly surprised to actually see two new i3's on the floor of our local premier BMW dealer this week - and attractive lease deals being offered again on the i3 by BMW.

Maybe this was all a short term shortage thing, with the bulk of recent limited i3 production targeted at European sales to meet EU 'Green Car' mandates.

 

[Deutsch100]

MKH, I haven't been to my dealer in a long time – it's really disappointing to hear that the ones in your area have switched to order-only.

This has been the issue for the last year or so - but may have been exacerbated by the COVID BMW plant shutdown. Was pleasantly surprised to actually see two new i3's on the floor of our local premier BMW dealer this week - and attractive lease deals being offered again on the i3 by BMW.

Maybe this was all a short term shortage thing, with the bulk of recent limited i3 production targeted at European sales to meet EU 'Green Car' mandates.

I think so. During the last 12 months our local BMW dealers had essentially NO i3 in stock, and in the last month now...they all have 2-4 in stock, including i3S and even a few BEV (although most are REX). Our closest BMW dealer has an incredible 2021 i3S BEV in stock, fully loaded. If my 2020 i3S REX was not just 7 months old, I would try and trade for the BEV (although REX does bring me comfort and takes range anxiety away).

 

[alohart]

During the last 12 months our local BMW dealers had essentially NO i3 in stock, and in the last month now...they all have 2-4 in stock, including i3S and even a few BEV (although most are REX).

Similar at BMW of Honolulu which has 1 i3 and 3 i3S, all 2021 models. Either BMW of Honolulu has finally stopped stocking REx models which are ridiculous for our small, isolated island or buyers have bought all the REx models leaving unpopular BEV's remaining to be sold.

Unfortunately, all 4 of them have Deka World interiors. Why are such a high percentage of recent U.S. i3's Deka World models? Deka World is missing some nice interior lighting. I suppose a new i3 buyer wouldn't know this. Maybe this is a way to minimize the high i3 MSRP.

 

[gt1]

So I talked to the dealer. He said that our area (not sure if he meant Mid Atlantic or the entire East Coast) isn't getting i3 allocations by default- only by orders. He said that the orders are open until October, and he has no info on what is coming afterwards. He made me a nice offer- I could configure a car I like, and if he likes this build he will order it and it would be up to me to buy it. I may do just that sometime in September. By the time it will arrive we will know about 2022.

If you think of an i3 as a city car (which I do) it's a well thought-out machine, which makes one wonder, what else does this design need? (not much, in my opinion!)

The cruise control is outdated, no lane departure warning, noAndroidAuto/CarPlay, no heated steering wheel (a must for anEV!), no power seats. All these features are present on much cheaper cars by now.

 

[agzand]

There is a credible rumor on Bimmerpost forum indicating i3 production will end in 6/22 (about 14 months from now). That means the 2022 model will be the last model year, also indicating upgraded battery pack is cancelled (doesn't make sense for 1 model year only). This is obviously a rumor but from a source who has been accurate before.

 

[Deutsch100]

During the last 12 months our local BMW dealers had essentially NO i3 in stock, and in the last month now...they all have 2-4 in stock, including i3S and even a few BEV (although most are REX).

Similar at BMW of Honolulu which has 1 i3 and 3 i3S, all 2021 models. Either BMW of Honolulu has finally stopped stocking REx models which are ridiculous for our small, isolated island or buyers have bought all the REx models leaving unpopular BEV's remaining to be sold.

Unfortunately, all 4 of them have Deka World interiors. Why are such a high percentage of recent U.S. i3's Deka World models? Deka World is missing some nice interior lighting. I suppose a new i3 buyer wouldn't know this. Maybe this is a way to minimize the high i3 MSRP.

My 2019 i3S was Deka...and while I liked it a lot, I LOVE my Terra with leather, wood and all the LED lighting upgrades inside and the exterior handles. Our dealers say REX is most popular, but of course if you want all electric, REX is a turn off.

 

[Deutsch100]

So I talked to the dealer. He said that our area (not sure if he meant Mid Atlantic or the entire East Coast) isn't getting i3 allocations by default- only by orders. He said that the orders are open until October, and he has no info on what is coming afterwards. He made me a nice offer- I could configure a car I like, and if he likes this build he will order it and it would be up to me to buy it. I may do just that sometime in September. By the time it will arrive we will know about 2022.

If you think of an i3 as a city car (which I do) it's a well thought-out machine, which makes one wonder, what else does this design need? (not much, in my opinion!)

The cruise control is outdated, no lane departure warning, noAndroidAuto/CarPlay, no heated steering wheel (a must for anEV!), no power seats. All these features are present on much cheaper cars by now.

My 2020 i3S was $60k, so while not super expensive...expensive enough that it should have power seats and a heated steering wheel (I'd like a power steering wheel too). I miss lane departure warning, as my last 4-5 cars before the i3 had it, and I really liked it!

 

[frictioncircle]

There is a credible rumor on Bimmerpost forum indicating i3 production will end in 6/22 (about 14 months from now). That means the 2022 model will be the last model year, also indicating upgraded battery pack is cancelled (doesn't make sense for 1 model year only). This is obviously a rumor but from a source who has been accurate before.

Hello agzand –

Any chance you could share a link? I want to swap my 2014 BEV for the final year of production and if BMW moves that to 2022, then that changes my timeline!

 

[frictioncircle]

My 2020 i3S was $60k, so while not super expensive...expensive enough that it should have power seats and a heated steering wheel (I'd like a power steering wheel too). I miss lane departure warning, as my last 4-5 cars before the i3 had it, and I really liked it!

Deutsch100 –

Yes, ACC really needs help. Think about when that tech (Mobileye) was validated for production – it was probably 2011 or 2012, nearly a decade ago!

Yes on the heated steering wheel! I don't even live in that cold of an area but I dream about having one any time I go out when the temps are in the 50s or lower.

Lane departure warning... my only experience with this tech is from the newer BMWs that I've gotten as a loaner when bringing my 2014 i3 in for service – those have been an F22 235i, an F44 2 Series Grand Coupe, and an F39 X2. After trying out the tech for a day or so I ended up turning it off as it seemed to false quite a bit.

The blind spot monitoring, though, was pretty good.

 

[frictioncircle]

Why are such a high percentage of recent U.S. i3's Deka World models? Deka World is missing some nice interior lighting. I suppose a new i3 buyer wouldn't know this. Maybe this is a way to minimize the high i3 MSRP.

In 2019 a friend bought a brand-new 2019 i3 Deka – a mutual friend (and 2019 i3s Tera owner) and I were completely surprised that the Deka trim level has no Ambience interior lighting! And it's not even something that can be coded for, the LEDs are just not there.

BMW doesn't go out of the way to make this clear when ordering.

What a bummer... Ambience lighting has been a BMW thing since the E46 debuted in the late 1990s / early 2000s.

 

[agzand]

There is a credible rumor on Bimmerpost forum indicating i3 production will end in 6/22 (about 14 months from now). That means the 2022 model will be the last model year, also indicating upgraded battery pack is cancelled (doesn't make sense for 1 model year only). This is obviously a rumor but from a source who has been accurate before.

Hello agzand –

Any chance you could share a link? I want to swap my 2014 BEV for the final year of production and if BMW moves that to 2022, then that changes my timeline!

Here is the link to BMW future model information thread:

https://bmwi.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14820299#post14820299